Hideo Nakata goes Out

A new Japanese thriller for the US

Hideo Nakata has made his name as a horror director, bringing the world the original Japanese versions of The Ring and Dark Water, which were then remade to varying degrees of success by American studios.

Now he’s decided to cut out the middleman and link up with New Line to option a 1997 novel called Out by Natsuo Kirino. It’s the charming tale of a Tokyo woman who murders her abusive husband and then asks three fellow factory workers to help her slice up and bury the body. But of course, things are never that simple…

The book is Kirino’s first to be published in English and also has the distinction of winning Japan’s Grand Prix Award for crime fiction. Joe Forte’s adapting the script, which New Line wants to get moving on soon.